The Top 30 Vertical Shooters for the Atari 2600 #3

Millipede
Atari

Insanity.  Millipede is distilled insanity in a video game.  Compared to it, Centipede feels like a child's game.  There are so many things happening at once on the screen that it is literally impossible to keep track of it all.  The best you can do is to keep moving and keep shooting and hope you last long enough to earn another life.  It is absolutely absurd that a game this frenetic can also be this incredibly fun.

Millipede is, at its heart, just Centipede with more going on.  In addition to the millipede that marches across the mushroom field, you'll be joined by spiders, beetles, inchworms, mosquitoes, bees, dragonflies, and earwigs.  Sheesh!  Furthermore, each pest does something different and some can even help you live longer.  The inchworm, for instance, will slow down time temporarily when you shoot it.  This has obvious benefits, but is actually one of the most important helpers in the game.  Mosquitoes will help scroll the screen up and clear some of the mushroom field.

Another innovation that sets Millipede apart is the intermission waves.  After successfully destroying a millipede you are regularly treated to a swarm of some other kind of pest.  This swarm rains down upon you and can be shot for mega bonus points, but you have to be careful because they come at you quickly and can easily overwhelm.  With the right swarm of pests you can rack up major points, clear the screen of mushrooms and even score an extra life.

This all sounds well and good, but the game speed in Millipede is dazzling.  The game starts out with a fast pace and then rapidly ramps to madness speed.  This sounds like it would make the game infinitely frustrating, but somehow the balance of challenge and fun is just right.  You'll most likely die quickly your first several games of Millipede, but the thrill of the action will bring you right back for one more game, time and again.

Millipede is pure action.  You will not find a vertical shooter for the Atari 2600 with faster-paced, frantic action.  I was initially intimidated by Millipede's blazing game speed and level of challenge, but after a few games I settled right in and now it is a must play for me anytime I'm looking for some shootin' action!

My Top Millipede Score: 111,262

The Top 30 Vertical Shooters for the Atari 2600 #16

Centipede
Atari

I'm one of those.  One of those who really love the VCS version of Centipede despite its blocks for mushrooms and lack of trak-ball control.  Purists will scoff at the sluggish control afforded by the joystick. Arcade snobs will ridicule the rudimentary graphics (ironically perhaps when you really look at the visuals of the arcade original).  But Centipede for the Atari 2600 captures the fun and madcap action of its spirited predecessor pretty damn perfectly for my tastes.

Like Space Invaders, I don't think I have to say much about what Centipede is apart from the fact that it is one of the foundational shooters of the genre.  Ok, well, maybe there is something to say about the story behind the game.  Unlike most shooters that pit you against squadrons of enemy space ships, Centipede puts you in a field of mushrooms against a literal garden variety of pests the worst of which is a giant centipede who does not die when shot, but horrifically breaks off in multiple segments and continues marching forward bent on your demise.  Seems mind-altering drugs and video game design are a match made in heaven.

What makes Centipede such a great game is the fast-paced action and variety of game play elements.  Centipede starts out a bit simple with you against the Centipede and his ally the spider.  But after a few rounds, the flea and the scorpion show up to wreck havoc upon you as well.  Difficulty ramping is spot on as well.  By the time you get really good, the action is fast and furious, the scorpion is zipping across the screen so fast you barely have time to see it, and the centipede is entirely disjointed and mounting an attack on many fronts.  Centipede doesn't overwhelm you, it lets you pick up the game at a good pace.

They have also done a nice job of matching the speed of the game play with the joystick controls to avoid the frustration that would come with a direct port lacking trak-ball support.  This might have been the happy accident of programming limitations, but either way it works.

Centipede is a great vertical shooter.  It has tons replay value and provides plenty of challenge.  It may be a bit sparse on details, but it captures the essence of its source material and, most importantly, is a lot of fun.  You cannot go wrong with Centipede for the Atari 2600.

Oh and I would be remiss if I did not mention the totally swank title screen.  That thing is sweet.

My Top Centipede Score: 277,335